Worth of freedom
by dragonsire13
Summary: The crew of the serenity are facing pretty dire times... Nothing new you would think but what if they met someone unexpected? A new passenger trying to find a save way, away from where he had been. Mal already knows his headache can only get worse as with every new guest on his ship... traditionally more trouble follows.
1. Chapter 1 Intro

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, plot parts or ideas from Serenity or Lord of the Rings. This story is written for fun and I don't earn anything with it.

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Hello my dears :) I don't know how long this will be. It's just a spooky idea in my head that had begged to be written down.

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**Serenity**

**those who had been there, never leave.**

Part1

Nothing. That was what he could feel, nothing. He still couldn't believe that he had been defeated. Defeated by a Hobbit and a punch of humans. How far had he fallen. His ring was destroyed and with it the last remainders of his powers. Yes he had taken high risks in putting nearly all of his powers into it but he never had suspected that he would loose it either. He still saw the scene as he reached out for his enemy only to get his finger cut off. Every time he asks himself why. Why hadn't he used the other hand to grab him? Why hadn't he just used his maze to kill Elendil? The answer was easy though. He had wanted to gloat to mock the dying king. Tell him how his world would fail, his lands burn and his people be slaughtered.

Why? When had he started to be like this?

He still remembered the time clearly, the time when he had been a being of pragmatism and logic. Both traits would have demanded to finish Elendil off and be done with it. When had he started to not be himself anymore?

He had always loved fire. Fire made his forges work, it formed his metal and shaped the things into new forms. Without fire he would be nothing. Or so he had believed. Before that belief there had been another one... he had believed in order. It had been his first great love. All things followed an order. Molecules, air, the iron core in the planet. Everything he had created in the beginning of the days had been true to his first love... order. He still believed that he had wanted to craft the ring to force order into life.

Life, such an chaotic thing. He never had been able to relate to it.

Yet he fell in love with chaos.

His master had been chaos. How had it come that he had turned from order to chaos? Or had he been so ambitious to believe that he could bring order into the chaos? Maybe, he had been ambitious all his life. Maybe he had really believed all that, once long ago...

He couldn't really remember anything before his days of service under Melkor the greatest of the Valar. He couldn't even remember the meeting when he had handed himself to his master. He knew that there had been a meeting but not what happened there. Morgoth would have never allowed him to forget that it had been his own decision. Everytime he was punished, his master made sure that he remembered that it had been his own choice and that he could be happy that he still had need for his service.

With force he pulled his thoughts away from the path that they were hopping along. It was too painful to remember. To think about his life as defeat. The defeat against Morgoth and the life under his rule. The most painful memory of all was the moment as he realized that even with Morgoth banished to the void he wouldn't be free to choose his own path to live his own life. He had tried to flee, flee and create a new life. Far away from his former being but it hadn't helped, his past had caught up with him and he had been called a liar. A liar who didn't deserve redemption. He could have gone to Valinor. As he had promised Eonwe. Maybe it would have been better in the end.

Less humiliating than this. Defeated by a Hobbit. Brought so low that he would never be able to take form, ever again.

Just him here alone in the void. Probably not even alone. A new thought sneaked up on him... and suddenly he begged that his punishment was to be alone in the void.

Would his master reach out for him?

Would he be enslaved again?

He couldn't cry. He was unable to do anything. He had no body to cry but the tiny bit of his fea that was still left shivered in fear and lonliness.

Alone in the void.

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Wash needed to bring her down safely. He sighed. Easier said than done.

"This isn't a ship, this is a flighing rubble pile"

"You aren't really insulting my ship, are you?"

Wash swallowed he could nearly feel how Mal pulled his Revolver out...

"Nah captain, just having a bad day. This will be a pretty interesting landing though."

"Interesting? What do you mean?"

"If the engines fail again then we are pretty much dead."

"Come on Wash you can bring us down."

"Down, yes. Alive, probably. Tendency falling."

Mal turned around and left the pilot alone hoping to gain some better information from his engineer. In the corridor he was stopped by Jayne caught up in the task of polishing "Vera" his gun.

"Oh come on you two... you have a room for such things."

Jayne just shook his head but didn't comment. He silently just proceeded with polishing his gun. Mal considered for a moment that something was wrong but had better things to do than loose more time. He knew Zoe was approaching the bridge as he heard the fast sharp wiry steps on the metal construction that served as ramp. What happened now?

"Zoe?"

"Captain."

"You are in a hurry?"

"River warned us about a Reaver approach."

Yep just his luck. More trouble.

"Fine tell Wash and then everyone who isn't needed to keep the ship flying will be in the hold... armed!"

"Of course, Sir."

Mal continued heading down to the engine room hoping that he wouldn't encounter even more of his crew. This time luck was with him and he could hear Kaylee summing a melody as she tended to her "old lady". He didn't like that she called Serenity old but it was better than "flying rubble pile".

"Kaylee... what is wrong with the engine?"

"Mal... do you know what the difference between an engineer and a miracle worker is?"

Where the hell did that came from?

"No but I'm sure you will tell me."

"Alright. An engineer does need actual material to work with."

"Kaylee we have been through this before, we are already heading to the market."

"I know Mal but it makes me sad to see Serenity in such a bad state. She needs new components, spare parts, top coats and heat protection or she won't hold out any longer."

It was sad but he knew she spoke the truth. Trade had gone really bad in the last time and the only thing they really had gained was trouble and people shooting at them. His ship was falling apart and his crew was tired and even if he wished for a miracle he didn't know how to change things. It was the first time since the valley of Serenity that he wished he still had his cross. He sent a prayer to any power out there that they would make it through another day.

"Kaylee just do your best. We need to land and Reavers are on our tail."

Her face showed even more exhaustion, probably thinking on how she would fix the damage they would surly suffer through. Mal grabbed the speaker and spoke to the crew.

"To everyone, here speaks the captain. We get some unwanted visitors. I want every weapon ready and loaded in the hold to greet them nicely."

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Hey this was the first intro... how did you like it?


	2. Chapter 2 stranded

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights concerning Lord of the Rings or Serenity... that would be really nice lol. I write this story for fun not for money. Original characters which could approach, twists and new storylines belong to me but hey who the hell would want them. Entirely too mad for sane people. Just saying.

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Welcome to chapter two of this story. Hope you will have fun with it.

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part2

Despair took over. He was so scared it was pathetic but he couldn't change it. More than anything he wished to be free from his master. He didn't wish for another chance in life or anything, he knew he deserved nothing. Not even the mercy of being free from his master. He had abandoned their father long ago but for the first time since working in Aule's forge he turned his thoughts to their creator.

_Please. Do everything to me. Everything even staying alone in the Void for all eternity but please don't send me back to Melkor._

He didn't hope for an answer. Their father never spoke to them since they had left the halls beyond time. Never. He had once long ago begged for days for an answer for guidance. In his time as he slowly comprehended that he wasn't happy with creating the palaces for the Valar. In the days where he had wished for more challenging tasks. He had begged their father to show him a way of being free. His own master, creating his own things. He would have never minded to be alone somewhere just doing his craft. Free and happy. Their father hadn't answered even as he had begged with all of his fea to find a way. He had been so saddened, disappointed and lost faith. He had lost faith into their father and into Manwe's guidance as the Valar had only aimed for Illuvatar's will. At the end of those days he had been cracked and really the only thing Melkor had needed to do was picking him up from the path. He had already been too injured to fight back. Not that he had already been destroyed... no that had come later. It had been his masters speciality.

The only thing he had ever truly wanted was freedom. To be free to craft things he himself desired. He never had that even once in his life. At first he crafted Illuvatar's vision of the world, then he crafted Aule's plans only to flee him and end up caught and chained. How long had he kneeled in front of Melkor and called him master? With his lord's downfall he had tried once more to do his own thing but ended up fulfilling Melkor's plans and wishes. He was just so destroyed that he couldn't do anything else.

He couldn't cry. He had no body to cry but if he could have he would have done so. What did he care for pride anymore?

His pride. His shield. Funny, he had been so proud to be this dark creature, sorcerer, crafter and master of earth. Now he clearly saw how much of a lie it was. Pride for what? Being a slave to Melkor? Kneeling, crawling across the floor, whipped, kicked and mocked.

Pride. Seriously?

_I give up._

He felt something. Different from cold, lonliness and being wounded. It was as if he was falling apart. He was dying. Funny, he had always thought that Ainur couldn't die or vanish. The worst fate that could be bestowed on them would be reduced to nearly nothing, hovering in the void to wait for the end of the world. Obviously a misconception because he was dying, fading into nothing. Knowing that he would simply disappear, not being able to walk through a gate like humans or wait in Mando's halls like the elves. No he would just stop to exist.

As the small fraction of the once proud Maia Mairon started to disintegrate a painful shake tortured Arda. All works the spirit had done for this world started to fate with him. If he would stop existing his creation would stop existing too. No more gravity, no more magnetism, no more reaction of chemical substances. Everything that would be known as laws of physic would have never existed if the mind and soul behind them would completely die.

Mairon's thoughts slowed down as the last of his substance was about to fade. He couldn't close his eyes but he couldn't care anymore. Spending his last moments wondering how he was truly dying. All of the others just hovered in the void waiting. He hadn't the strength to do that not if that meant to be with his former master. It seemed he was the first of his kin to give up on existence. It couldn't be more horrid than this anyway.

Arda was in turmoil and the Valar didn't know what had happened. Everything lost hold and order. Everything not anchored in earth lost grip on the ground as the power which pulled them all down onto the surface of the planet weakened. It had started at first with air and gases then it affected water and fluids and if the process couldn't be stopped then everything would be thrown out into the void. The electromagnetic shield which secured atmosphere failed and every kind of former order vanished.

It wasn't yet the end of Arda's days. The time hadn't yet come for all creation to fade and so for the first time since the beginning of Arda something in the great music was changed. A light engulfed the small battered fea of Mairon and calmed the storms of destruction on the planet. The fea was put to sleep while parts of it were healed. Then suddenly with a flare of light the spirit vanished. No one in Arda knew what happened that day not even Manwe but they all were grateful as the destruction calmed and all life was put to rest again. The chaos would be healed even if it would take time and effort but at least not everything was destroyed.

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He woke. Woke? Had he slept? Confusion swept through Mairon. Especially as he noticed that he felt something...hot. Last thing he could remember was that he had been freezing alone in darkness and cold. Why was it hot? The next thing that confused him was that his eyes were closed. It confused him because he had eyes and not just those. He had a body. A body that lay on a surface. It was hard and hot and he couldn't open his eyes because he would be blinded. Sun? There seemed to be sunshine and that would blind him... Odd, maybe it was a dream. He merely remembered sunshine and light and had been caught into an illusion of it? Maybe he shouldn't try to open his eyes or it would be gone again. Open his eyes funny since the loss of his ring he hadn't needed to bother himself with such ideas like opening eyes. With a pang he felt how much it meant to him to have a body again. To be able to connect with the surrounding world. Not that he had always thought like this. For a long time he had thought his body as a mere instrument to reach his goals but now? Now he had lived reduced to nothing for so long that the idea of having a body again felt addictive.

Finally he tried to open his eyes and yes was blinded. Sun. A real hot sun burned down on him. He carefully got himself into a sitting position and noticed that his very pale skin got red and hurt. He probably should look for shadow or a cover. He looked at his surroundings and found himself in an empty canyon like environment. Everything felt strange. He felt strange. Not far away from him reached massive mountain like stone walls high up above his head. Ahh, strong great bones of the world. They would spend him shadow and provide him with cover. If he could reach them. His feet didn't want to work. They were useless, his body felt so strange like it hadn't yet learned to walk. The only thing he could somewhat control were his arms. He tried to crawl. Slow but with effort and patience he managed to get forward. The floor was dusty, full of sand and some dried grass. The sun shone mercilessly but he felt great. Even with his skin burning he felt joy but no wonder after being completely frozen in the dark. Mairon crawled, trying to reach shelter under some stonewalls which had some niches. The canyon seemed old and the stone was red, he would have admired the structure longer if he hadn't been in such a need of finding shelter. So he crawled further and after nearly an hour he finally reached a somewhat cool and protected place. Gratefulness swept over him and he just fell on the floor, his arms no longer able to pull him further. As exhaustion forced him to give in he smiled. For the first time in his life he was happy.

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They needed to get the cows through the canyon. If they wouldn't make it to the city in time they would need to feed those beasts for another month in this godforsaken land. There was barely enough water and supplies for the humans and they couldn't afford to miss the ships. They had only one more day to reach the market or they could forget the deal. Mize was quite ambitious to make it on time and forced her men to gain more speed. These animals would be sold to the alliance... no matter the cost. The cowboys about 400 animals and the lady on the white horse passed by in great speed. Like flood they came closer and wiped out everything in their way. Caused by their speed they nearly overlooked the man coming out of the shadow at first. The group and the animals hurried on but Mize took a halt. It took a while until the noises of the group had been far away enough for her to hear the calls from the stranger.

He hadn't any clothes on him and called out in words she had never heard before but their meaning was quite clear, he called for help. The pale figure seemed unable to walk and just crawled out of the shadow between the stones. The woman sighed. She should probably just shoot him and be done with it. These lands weren't a place for unlucky people or for trouble. It was a hard life and could be easily over for her as well if she lost the contract but it was against the law of the desert. No one would be left behind in a desert. If someone found a wounded person he had to bring them to the next town. Alive or dead. Mize halted and got down from her horse. She took a blanket from her saddlebags and walked to the stranger. His skin seemed awfully burned but he didn't look like someone who was used to sun at all so she couldn't figure out how long he had been out there. As she got closer she noticed him watching her. His black eyes followed her curiously obviously hoping for help. She nodded in his direction.

He again spoke to the woman, asked for her name but didn't got an answer. At first he thought she wouldn't help him but then he realized that she probably didn't spoke quenya and with a sigh he stopped talking. He noticed her strange clothes. Tight trousers, high boots and a strange leather jacket above a shirt. Her head was covered with a strange hat which provided a lot of shadow. She had looked like the other men at first he hadn't even realized that it was a woman at all but then he didn't really care. He only cared for the blanked she covered him with. Obviously to protect him from the sun. Then she offered him water. With great relief he drank slowly even if he wanted to gulp it down in one go but he knew better than that. Mize was glad that the stranger behaved himself and nodded grateful at her. He spoke some more words she couldn't understand but was quite sure that he meant to say "thanks". Then she had to get him onto her horse. Just her luck that he really didn't seem able to walk. She manoeuvred her steed closer to him and the man grabbed for it and used the support to help himself up, steadied by the woman. It took half an hour until they sat both on the horse and were ready to leave. Mize had tied the man onto her back in case he would loose consciousness until they reached the city. Mairon didn't mind at least he wouldn't fall of the horse. Then the horse ran off and that with great speed. All of his muscles felt tired and he could only hope that he would reach a safer place soon.

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That was number two :)) I would be very happy if you tell me how you like it so far.


	3. Chapter 3 Market place

Disclaimer: No ideas, characters and plot parts you know and love from Lord of the rings or Firefly Serenity belong to me. This story is written for fun and not for money.

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Welcome to the third part now we get to the good things ^^

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Part3

Kaylee couldn't believe it. They had left her alone. Alone in a market full of criminals and gangsters. Mal and the others needed to secure a contract for their return flight to the core planets and they had simply left her "with the metal and stuff". Like she would be able to simply make Serenity whole again... after that crash. Also the only money she had was half of what she needed for the engine alone. Never thinking of more sensible stuff like controls, wires, or even the heat shields which had been totally burned out as they had to escape the reavers. A chase through the planet's atmosphere as if it wasn't bad enough to land the damn malfunctioning thing without more trouble.

But Kaylee would repair it. She always did. Somehow.

Just this time she was completely at a loss were even to start. She strolled along the dusty street and wished she had actually a hat rather than her hair pinned up... The sun burnt down on her and with working in the void in an engine room without much light all day she wasn't really used to sun, daylight and such. She still loved it, remembering her life in the village. The food. Strawberries.

_Ok pull your head together you have work to do._

That was the moment when she came to a crowded place full of different metals, machine parts and everything which made her heart beat faster. She carefully moved around in her Flip flops enjoying the freedom of being out of her work boots. She still wore her work clothing but had put a light blue open blouse above it... so at least her shoulders wouldn't be burned. Her left hand rested in her pocket, the fist had a firm grip on a white token. She didn't felt safe with having to guard it but she couldn't change it at the moment. The token was worth more than double of the Serenity in her current state not that this meant something... she wouldn't even get a new air filter for it not without good arguments, threating and diplomacy skills. For all her usual strategies she always had Inara or Jayne with her... but not today. Today she was on her own.

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The first time he saw her he didn't know what to think. Should he laugh? She stood out like an ent in a forge. With her light blue jacket and the irritating unpractical shoes. He had thought her to be one of the rich tourists with horrid taste. He had already seen some since he had come out of the local pub. The woman with the white horse had brought him to the pub only that very night and after a big argument with the owner it had been settled that he would work there to "clean". The old man which smelled about alcohol even in a range of four feet gave him a dirty cloth which was dusty and an old broom with more spiders on it than the entire Mirkwood had ever seen. He expected him to clean with those unsatisfactory tools. Mairon didn't complain. They let him stay, gave him some basic clothes, water and food and that was more than anyone could hope for in this dessert like environment.

The Maiar had been very confused in the beginning. He hadn't known where in Arda he had landed, nothing felt familiar. The earth was odd. Not one thing had been created by him and he still didn't understand how everything he saw around him was even possible. In the beginning he had thought it was a nightmare a last fight of his mind to flee the void but no. He knew that he was alive and somehow needed to make the best of this strange place. He turned his attention back to the woman and still didn't know if he should start laughing or be disgusted... Laughing at her oddity or disgusted by her lack for pride and dignity, he saw in her eyes, in how she inspected different components, in how she moved that she was of his craft. No one of his craft should fall so low to look like... that. On the other hand who was he to complain? The Maia who worked in a local pub to clean and amuse the guests. Not that the owner hadn't immediately seen the value he had for the female clients and some males. At least he had grasped their language faster while spending time with the woman, at the table during a game called poker and in animating them to buy more drinks. The pub owner should be quite pleased with his success. Not that the old disgusting thing deserved his services but at the moment he had no where else to go and he needed to find more information before he could act. So he played the nice guy that was a bit slow in mind but willing to do his best that was now busy to feed and water horses from rich people who had arrived from the sky...

It was one of those things he didn't understand. No he understood the metal crafting, most of the ideas of those... how did they called them "starships" but he had never seen anything so advanced before in Middle earth. Metal pieces that could fly... He understood many things around him even if they had unknown shapes. He knew pubs, horses, small cities... but all of them were mixed with elements that startled him. At first he had wondered about the windows in the small building that was the pub. How could a town this shabby afford glass windows of this size? Then he looked closer and felt buzzing waves of energy. He had been so fascinated that the owner had nearly hit him with the broom as he had tried to figure out how exactly humans had caught energy in such a way. No power would bow to them to work as shield but there he clearly saw it. A shield made of energy. It had been such details that had really unsettled him. Like the food that was served. He could understand the whiskey... even if he had been startled at how potent that fluid was. Not even the things his orcs had cooked up could compare with what was handed out in the bar. Mairon was also able to understand water which he had received to his meal but the food no. It had looked like a bar and lacked any flavour. He had been able to analyse the components of it and found that it would perfectly serve his body but he couldn't say what it was made of. No growing thing or animal that lived could provide all the elements which were in the food. It was a puzzle.

At least some things worked like they should. Like feeding and grooming the horses. He had never worked as stable master before but he had hatched enough monster that he knew what he needed to do. So he bended over and scrubbed the dirt out of the hooves. Still confused by other things like the healing cream they had put on his skin. He hadn't been able to figure its smell out but it had worked perfectly within thirty minutes his skin had peeled itself and regenerated. It was like he never had been burned. It did help his seducing of the guests but he was still confident enough in his skills that he would have managed even with some burning marks. He tried to not think about how humiliating his situation was and rather focused on the female curiosity across the street. She seemed very troubled. Glancing at things always calculating and trying to work something out. He didn't even know why he was so fascinated with her and tried to tell himself that it was just the kind of distraction he needed to not being forced to think about where the hell he was, what had happened and why it had happened. He just reminded himself that at this place there were no Melkor, no Valar and no elves. Humans were bad but at least much better than the void so he wouldn't complain.

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The first time she noticed him she was confused. Why would he look at her? There were much more beautiful woman around the corner waiting to gain some attention. Some local beauties which looked awesome in their riding clothes. Kaylee wasn't used to someone noticing her. Normally, especially when she was in company of Inara no one would even glance at her. The same counted for times when she was with Zoe, not that the soldier ever even noticed men looking at her, better for the men by the way. Zoe wouldn't let them live at least not with all their features. Kaylee noticed it though, men seemed to be attracted to her looks and the steely attitude. She knew that Zoe wasn't interested in such kind of attention, she loved Wash and she also loved people for liking her for herself as person. No one who had only thrown a glance at her could say he knew her personality because even Kaylee was still sometimes surprised at Zoe's different aspects and they travelled together since years.

_Oh but right they aren't here today. So he can only look at me. Not that Inara is standing right behind me and they only let me think he is looking at me._

Just in case she turned around looked over her shoulder and checked if a beautiful female being was right behind her. No there wasn't. She turned back to the man and noticed that the clothes he wore couldn't really be his. The shirt was much to big it looked like it had belonged to a very plump man and not to the athletic being in front of her. He had unnatural black hair which was caught back in a braid at first she thought it was that sign which pulled her interest but no it was more a feeling. There were many details about this stranger which didn't fit. First he couldn't be someone from the local people he looked nothing like them. He wasn't shabby or weathered enough for it. He didn't move like them and even if he tended to the horses he didn't look like he was made for that kind of work. His hair was too dark for someone who had lived in such a country with so much sun. Also his pale skin was a give away. He moved regal. Kaylee was puzzled.

_Where did that thought came from?_

She didn't know but as she thought more closely about it, it seemed to be true. The stranger moved more like one of the celebrities in the core worlds and not like them.

_What is he doing here?_

Then suddenly she thought about Simon and River. How they had needed to flee.

_Maybe he needs help?_

He doesn't seem to fit in properly who ever hunts him will most likely find him very easily. For the first time that day she thought that maybe her own problems weren't that big. At least no one shot at her... at the moment. Her eyes moved to the faded trousers and the torn boots on him they looked like a costume not like his working clothes. She turned back to her list and within seconds she was depressed again. Even if she took the one filter that was already too shabby to sell, would use the heat shields from a second hand seller... or rather the thief which had stolen them from another ragged ship and could argue the value of the wire down to half she had still no chance of requiring even half of the components she absolutely needed. For even only the most needed reparations with taking useless components from those ugly men she would at least need double of the money she had. It was so frustrating and Serenity deserved better. She hated to hear her pain. It was over a year that the ship had been somewhat happy. Since that time her condition had gotten worse every time. She probably would do anything to just hear her old lady singing a happy tune once more. Her chances of getting Serenity back into the sky again were very slim and got worse with every round she made across the market place.

Thinking about Serenity brought her thoughts back to the stranger. He still threw glances at her, every time he thought she wouldn't catch it.

_Why would thinking about Serenity's deplorable state make me think about him?_

Something inside her called out to him and then she drew the connection. She had a feeling about him, like Serenity she could hear them singing. Both of their melodies sounded disturbed, hurt and wrong. It was the very first time that she had such feelings about a living being. Normally she could only hear machines.

_What is the meaning of this?_

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She had caught him watching her and had started to muster him in return. Mairon was somewhat amused at her confusion. He focused back on his work and brought the animals new hay after cleaning the stable places somewhat. He knew that he would be expected back in soon but he couldn't help to watch her. He had long looked beyond her odd clothing and found something much more interesting. He had found her pain. It took a long time until he had figured out what was troubling her. He had followed her with his eyes as she made her rounds inspecting strange pieces of metal which looked like components for machines. Nothing wrong there but then he noticed that she only picked the shabby components. The ones that had some failures or lacked quality in their material. He could sense it from his place. At first he wanted to strangle her for her stupidity to let them sell her junk. Only after seeing her look he finally understood. She knew what she was doing but she had no choice.

Then she came over to him. Mairon hadn't expected her to be that straight forward but somehow he was curious. As she walked over to him she had a big friendly smile on her face. He was startled as he saw that it was innocent. He couldn't find ulterior motives in her actions or eyes. So she wasn't coming to buy him for an hour of fun. Not that he would have minded, his former clients had been much worse.

"Hello my name is Kaylee, who are you?"

"I'm Mairon it's nice to meet you."

He should have told her to seek information or help from someone else as he was still new and couldn't help her but he wanted to know why she had approached him and kept quiet.

"I have a question but I don't want to intrude so only answer if you want to..."

He nodded in confirmation and told her to ask him what she needed to know.

"It may sound weird but... I don't know how to put it..."

He smiled at her. Trying to look comforting and encouraging.

"Just ask as I'm new here I had to ask a lot of weird questions in the last time so I promise I won't laugh at you."

Why had he told her that? Why would he freely give up such crucial information and reveal his weakness of lack of knowledge... He was angry at himself but somehow it seemed that it had been the right words as she tried to form her thoughts into a question.

"I'm engineer on a ship and normally people laugh when I tell them that she sings for me..."

He looked at her intensely. Kaylee was shocked she hadn't thought that he would react this way. He didn't look like he wanted to laugh at her but rather like she had spoken of something dangerous. His black eyes bored into hers.

"Why are you speaking about such things to a stranger? It could be dangerous if the wrong people find out."

"What? Why? No one ever believes me anyway."

He stared at her and couldn't believe it. His senses were somewhat clouded since he had found himself in his new body but he had already suspected her to be of his own craft as he first saw her. It seemed that this ridicules being had inherited some strong instincts of his art which was probably the reason why he had sensed her at all.

"You are lucky that no one did, that they are to stupid to understand... but why are you telling me this?"

Her voice was shaky, she was obviously disturbed by what he had just revealed.

"Normally only machines sing for me but..."

"...but?"

"I can hear you singing too."

His eyes grew wide as he comprehended what she was implying. She could hear him singing? She could hear his melody? He looked at her, seeing that she spoke the truth but couldn't grasp what that meant. She didn't seem to mean harm or to fear him and he wasn't angry at her. That was a surprise but he couldn't be angry that she nearly revealed his identity, contrary even he was intrigued by her.

"So curiosity brought you to me?"

To his surprise she shook her head.

"Not just curiosity, I can always feel what the melody means that I hear. I know if my ship is alright or if something is amiss. At the moment you and my ship sound alike."

He waited for her to continue but she seemed unsure if she should even finish her tale.

"You have nothing to fear from me. What else did you feel?"

"You both are sad, hurt, not yourself. For me it sounds like you want to be more, like you need to be healed."

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Ok this was chapter number3 I really hope that you take the time to give me a short feedback on what you think about the story so far.


	4. Chapter 4 Repairing Serenity

Disclaimer: Surprisingly rights and money for characters, ideas, plot parts and other recognizable stuff from Lord of the Rings as well as Firefly Serenity belongs to those which would never post anything on this site... ergo not me.

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It seems that this story hasn't yet found many people who wants to read it so I guess its one of those things that I write because I can't stop. Let's see how long my motivation holds...

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Part4

Shock. Mairon couldn't really think about anything to say or to think. How was it that this small human being was able to see straight through him? He couldn't really think of an answer or how everything in this place was so disturbingly odd. Nothing he saw fit together it was like a really big joke. By Morgoth nothing made sense.

"Could we speak of something different?"

Kaylee noticed his shock, the hoarse voice and his serious look and there she knew she had been right. He needed her help but how and what exactly should she do... it wasn't like she could even solve her own problems. She sighed.

"I don't think I'm good at conversations. The only topic I could talk about are machines. Most people think I'm boring. It's probably better if you look for someone else as company. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

With that she turned around but before she could leave she felt a strong grip on her arm. She glanced back over her shoulder at him and listened to his next sentence which was spoken with force and something convincing included in it.

"I don't mind to speak about our craft, contrary even it would really enlighten me to speak more about those star ships. I would also really wish for your company so please stay."

She was a bit nervous at his demanding tone but on the other hand if he wanted to talk about space ships... he also had said our craft... does that mean he is engineer too? She turned back to him and nodded. With that Mairon got up from where he had sat and walked a few steps to the backside of the building, both looked for a secluded shadowy place to sit down and talk.

"You are engineer too?"

He had guessed that she would ask about it. It had been the bait he had put into his last words to bind her attention. He thought some time about how he could phrase the answer in a way that she would trust him. It probably would be the best to go with the truth at least a general overview of it. How else would he explain his deep knowledge while being completely ignorant to their technology?

"Not entirely. My craft is to design, create, forge and shape different objects. I have a deep understanding for everything that has to do with machines but its more general and not specific for just one kind of machine."

Kaylee thought about his answer for some time. He seemed odd to her. How could he know how to forge things and design them but not having an official education? Not that anyone would learn how to forge things on the central planets they had giant construction halls were machines created most of the components needed. So he would have needed to spend some time at the outer worlds, there people needed smiths for their horses and tools as trade with the central worlds was scarce and corrupt. Mairon didn't look the part though. How could this being that looked like he hadn't worked even one day in hard labor be a smith of all things...

"Mairon you don't look like you have lived in the hard environment of the outer worlds and I'm not going to believe you for a second that you have done anything like working in a forge."

He laughed. Of all things she would have expected him to do or say it wasn't laughing.

"I'm sorry Kaylee I know why it looks that way to you and in some aspects you are right but that is a story for another time. Maybe we should focus on your problems? I have seen your struggle across the street, what is it that bothers you?"

She was confused at his switching of topics but didn't really mind someone who would actually listen to her sorrows. None of her friends did. They only expected her to have Serenity ready when they wanted to depart.

"I told you that I'm in charge of caring for a space ship?"

He nodded, expecting her to continue but she didn't. Instead of speaking she took his hand and started to walk back to the market. He carefully followed her. She didn't stop to look at the people but marched straight through, passing by alleys, buildings and more people as well as animals. Then they reached an open field like place. Except that all of the plants were dried and dead. It was used as parking space for the space ships to land and allow trading with the locals of the city. As they walked across the place Mairon saw that all of the ships were more or less shabby. Probably not the best ships that were out there in the solar system but obviously all the people here could afford. They walked further back around some of the larger ships and then he saw a small crate were a pile of metal had crashed into the ground. He swallowed. Kaylee couldn't be serious, could she?

"Mairon that is the serenity and she is the most beautiful ship but at the moment she is in a pretty bad state."

That was the understatement of the millennia. He closed his eyes and opened it again but he still stood in front of a pile of smoking demolished metal. Oh Morgoth, he had totally cut his work out for him. The Maia had wanted wanted to help her with her troubles to proof himself to her and gain her trust but that was hilarious.

"You and how many others will work on repairing this ship?"

"Just me and I should finish it tonight."

His eye twitched in irritation.

"And you agreed to such ridiculous conditions?"

"It looks worse than it is. Yes the ship is deformed but if I can replace the crushed elements it at least could fly again."

"You would manage to repair this?"

He had spoken out of surprise and couldn't help but being awed at her talent.

"As I said I can hear what Serenity needs from me, so its easier."

One glance at her told him that she had absolutely no idea how brilliant she was. A jewel if he had ever seen one. Wasted at a task like that...

"Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean Mairon?"

"Why are you living like that? You should be rich, everyone would want you to work for them... Even I want to work with you."

He didn't know why he had said the last part but it was the truth. He would find it highly inspiring to see exactly how deep her talent reached and if he would be able to kindle that fire inside her even more. A delicate task. One that send a thrill through his spine.

Kaylee was nervous again. What did he mean? Why did he speak to her as if she was something special and not just and oddball. It also made her feel a burning desire inside her. To proof herself worthy of being an real engineer. Then she thought about Mal and the others, how they always had their back, how they all stood together and managed their life. So she answered him honestly.

"I love to be on board of the Serenity. She is my beautiful ship and I'm able to care for her. I also love to be with my crew, they are my family."

He was surprised with her answer but couldn't find a lie in her eyes. How could she believe in such a nonsense?

"Your family? Like leaving you alone with such an enormous task, never seeing how amazing you are and how talented... you live as a poor woman when you shouldn't. How can you tell me you like those people and like your life?"

She turned to him and he could see a fire burning in her eyes. It was fierce and unforgiving. Would she join him? Had he swayed her to leave those ridiculous people?

"Mairon you may not understand this but we are what we are. Yes we are criminals and Mal will always shoot first and ask questions later, yes Inara is a courtesan and we are smugglers but we are also decent people. We only have us and we have our backs. Belonging to Mal's crew means to be family and yes our life is hard. People shooting at me more often than I would like, we go days without food and I could cry at the state Serenity is in but we have one thing. One that no one else has."

"What should that be? What would be worth it to live like that?"

"Freedom."

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Mairon still stood in front of the remains of the ship called "Serenity". The one word that Kaylee had thrown at him still rang in his ears as he was caught up in dark memories. Freedom. The one thing he had always had longed for but never had been able to achieve. How dared this mortal being to speak to him about freedom? What did she know about such things? He would have loved to scream that she knew nothing but knew that it was a lie. She knew exactly what it meant and was even ready to sacrifice everything for it. Everything she could have had, glory, prosperity, power. She had thrown it away for a rusty ship, lost people and a life at gun point and for what? For freedom.

"Why Kaylee?"

"What do you mean with why... Mairon?"

"Why does freedom means so much to you?"

"I don't know. The only thing I know is that if you are once on board of this ship you won't go back."

Carefully he reached out for her and hoped she would take his hand. Kaylee was confused by his words and actions but took the offered hand and stared at him. Then she saw him smiling.

"Let's go and repair your ship. Shall we?"

Kaylee stared at him in disbelief, he would help her? It seemed that way because he had started to draw her back to the market place. Mairon asked her how much money she had and what the currency was, what she needed to get for at least the most basic repairs and what would be needed to achieve everything before nightfall. It took a while of listening to her whispered explanations until he finally grasped why she had been so depressed. The money wouldn't even long for the most basic repairs and he refused to even consider of taking some of the defective materials which were sold at that place. It would be a challenge but he had achieved much more difficult tasks already and he didn't fear of confronting those humans. Kaylee walked next to Mairon and saw him switching to a brooding mood he would probably soon give up on the task. She had already tried to approach the problem from every different angle possible and hadn't found a solution. Just her luck that she didn't know who she had next to her because there was no way that Mairon would give up on anything that he wanted to achieve.

It took him three hours but in the end he was very satisfied with his deceiving abilities. He could still bring people to fall to his charms and turn them even against each others to fight over the right who was allowed to please him. Kaylee didn't know what to say but she knew that not even Inara was able to play people like that. She watched how the two merchants screamed at each other trying to make the more attractive offer for the filter. She swallowed the scene was going on for about half an hour and they were already at a third of what it was worth. She wanted to tell Mairon that he should stop now, that they could already achieve it but he had asked her to not interfere before he had started his shopping trip.

Seeing her distress he decided to give her another task to occupy her thoughts until he was ready.

"Kaylee do you know if they have some kind of forge around here? I will craft some of the needed parts myself."

She stared at him in disbelief but started to think. The stable masters would need to have a smith around because the horses needed new shoes regularly. So... possibly the owner of the pub would know where to find one? She decided to go and ask around. Mairon gave her an approving nod but told her to be careful with the old men. Then he turned back to the arguing men in front of him and accepted the filter for free as gift. With the most grateful smile he could muster for those idiots he wished them fare well and moved on to purchase those ship parts that he couldn't forge because they would be too complex to do in a small forge with second hand material or required what he had learned was called plastic. Some of the wire and electronic parts were too difficult for him to create without more time and deeper thought but he would find some plans and construction drawings.

Meanwhile Kaylee had been able to find a kind of forge. It was small and mainly used to repair tools than to really create something but she had the feeling that it was all they could hope for. Mairon wouldn't be happy. As she thought about Mairon she had a bad feeling again. How would she ever be able to pay for his help? She had nothing to offer to him. She also didn't want him to leave them but she knew that he probably had no interest to set foot on board of the Serenity. Also only Mal could allow anyone to join them and he didn't like new people. Somehow she understood her captain, the last guests had contained a bounty hunter and some refugees and even if it had turned out alright in the end... they were now hunted by the government and Mal hated to draw attention. He only wanted to live in peace. She shook herself out of her thoughts and went to find Mairon and show him what she had discovered.

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Mal wasn't happy. As they came back to the serenity the ship still looked the same. He wasn't even sure if they should even call it a ship anymore. His Serenity looked awful. He felt some remorse that he had ignored Kaylee's lost look but they had been late to the meeting and after the last month he couldn't afford to loose another client. With the help of all of his crew they had sealed the deal but now needed to be back at the central planets in a week and it didn't look like they would be able to make it. While he gave the others some free time under the restriction of not getting involved in any more danger than they already were in, he took Zoe and went to find his engineer.

The market was empty. No it wasn't what Mal meant was that even with all the criminals and the tourists it lacked one special person. A woman that normally should radiate joy and happiness and run around in her work cloth and a light blue blouse.

"That's bad"

"I agree captain"

Both of them knew that Kaylee wouldn't just leave the market without telling them. She could have been kidnapped. Carefully without drawing too much attention they started to ask around what had happened and both were fascinated that learn that she had been seen with a stranger. The merchants told them about the couple and how they had bought some of the more valuable parts of the entire market. Mal was confused he knew that Kaylee couldn't have been able to pay for any of those parts mentioned. Had the stranger paid for them and what would he ask in return. His mood was already bad but now turned to worse.

Zoe had been able to talk to the owner of the local pub and gained knowledge on were Kaylee would be. She had asked him not long ago where they had a forge. At first the old man wasn't very forthcoming with information but Zoe could be very convincing if her friends were at stake. It didn't take them long to find the place were the forge was stationed but what they found there was surprising.

Kaylee's face was dirty and sweaty but she didn't complain. She was glad that she could assist Mairon with his work. The forge was a mess but somehow he was able to keep the temperature on a constant level. Next to the complex components Mairon had also gained some metal parts. They were simply left overs of crashed ships and differed highly in quality but he had already worked with worse. He would melt it together and try to create the parts for the ship they still needed. Kaylee gave him specifics about what kind of pressure and temperature differences those components had to withstand. He agreed that the landing and starting of the ships while passing through a planet's atmosphere tore most on the metal structure and that the heat panels needed to be of best quality or as good as he could manage. As Mairon fell back into the kind of trance which always claimed him when he was at work he noticed that he still had a connection to his former powers. It was dull and not as strong as it had been once but he was more powerful and alive as he had been in the last centuries in his wraith state. It filled him with glee to be able to do his craft again. He was so lost and focused in his work that he didn't noticed as Mal and Zoe approached them.

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:)) number 4...


	5. Chapter 5 The crew

Disclaimer: I don't own characters, ideas or plot parts from Firefly Serenity or Lord of the ring and I don't earn anything with this story.

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Thanks for following the story :)

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Part5

Mal was startled and he could see in Kaylee's eyes that she was surprised to see them too.

"What are you doing here and who is he?"

She knew that Mal wasn't comfortable with the presence of Mairon, probably thinking that she was somehow in danger, kidnapped or something and not safe in the presence of this stranger. She needed to calm the waves before the shooting would start. Mal wasn't known to ask questions and if anything then Kaylee owed Mairon a lot. More than she would ever be able to repay. She owed him not just for all the things he had been able to "buy" for her ship but also for his time and for listening to her sorrows when no one else did. He also needed their help and she would at least try to help him. Therefore she needed him to be safe and Mal to behave himself.

"Stop it right there captain. Mairon is family and you won't hurt him."

Both of the newcomers were shocked by Kaylee's claim. They knew that she trusted easily but she had learned a lot in the last years and they couldn't understand what had happened that she would protect a stranger.

"Who the hell is he?"

Mairon had been surprised that he hadn't been able to feel the presence of Kaylee's crew members before they arrived but it seemed that some of his senses had been dulled. Or it was just working in a forge again that had made him so happy that he forgot his surroundings. A big mistake than even with his senses nearly gone he knew that these two meant business and that he better had an good explanation. He didn't really know why he went through so much trouble for Kaylee as they had just met but something about her made him want to stay close to her. He told himself it was because of her gift and that he wanted to have her as apprentice, working under him. He also had decided that he wanted to leave this deserted place and the ugly people and the woman owed him for his help so he probably would be able to arrange to be taken along. At least if he could manage to survive this encounter with the captain.

"My name is Mairon and I'm a stranger to these lands. My profession is crafting and I had offered your friend my help."

Mal listened closely to Mairon and knew that he spoke the truth. He already hated the situation and felt how his headache grew worse. On top of everything that had happened in the last month he now owed a complete stranger nearly his entire ship. Damn. Why couldn't things never go right?

"What does she owe you for your help?"

Mal's voice was more serious than ever. He would get Kaylee out of this mess no matter the cost. He wouldn't lose more of his family than he already had. He could see Mairon's eyes turning to slits but it wasn't from trying to figure out the highest prize for his help as Mal figured but from his tone. The Maia was somewhat amused to hear so much familiarity and affection towards Kaylee from the man that would shoot everyone on sight. Somehow he had judged the man wrong, he wasn't just a smuggler with no care in the world who just looked out for the next job. What did Kaylee say? She had claimed him as family and she had said that her crew was also her family. He hadn't believed it at first but now he saw that they really cared for her.

"I want to join you."

Kaylee couldn't help the smile that spread on her face. She was so happy. It would be great to have Mairon on board, to have someone she could talk about ships with and she would get more time to figure out a way to help him. Mal felt the complete opposite of his engineer.

"No."

"But Mal!"

Kaylee's voice was desperate why would her captain deny Mairon to join them? He couldn't do that not after all the work they had done to get Serenity back in shape.

"No and that is not negotiable."

"Mal! You can't do that please. I trust Mairon he is very kind a bit crazy and he totally uses his cunning mind for the wrong things but it just makes him fitting to us."

Mairon's eye twitched at being called a deceiver it raised bad memories and left a bitter taste in his throat. He was also irritated by the fact that she actually put those points up in his defense this place was truly very contrary to what he was used.

"Even if you are right Kaylee and he can be trusted... I will not allow anymore trouble on my ship."

"He isn't trouble Mal! Please you have to believe me."

"Even if I would be inclined to believe that you know someone you have just met well enough to claim that he won't kill us in our sleep it doesn't change my mind."

"Mal would you rather pay him for his work? With what money? Why can't you help him? Please Mal."

He was irritated with her tone. Why was this stranger so important to his engineer. He was well looking but normally that wasn't what Kaylee attracted towards someone. Mal also felt that this Mairon was dangerous.

"No, even if he will not be the trouble... he will cause us trouble."

"Why would you think that?"

This time it was Mairon who had asked and he was truly curious about the answer. It was of course true that no one in their right minds should trust "Sauron the deceiver" but he hadn't given anyone reason to be suspicious of him yet. So why was this human so set against him? Could he sense something?

"Because Mr. Appearing out of Nowhere, you aren't from here. Everyone can see that. Your skin, your hair and your clothes everything about your appearance gives away that you aren't from here. It also means that you can't be from the outer planets because everyone from there would know to hide themselves better and that leads to the question why are you here? No one from the inner worlds comes to a place like this if they have a choice. So the question is what have you done? Whom are you hiding from?"

Mairon's face got very serious. The human was right he hadn't yet adapted to his surroundings and his new body wasn't used to rough, desert like climate. It was good to know that people here were able to notice such details he would need to be much more careful in the future. It also explained how Kaylee knew that he wasn't from here.

"I'm not from what you call the inner worlds and I'm not hiding from anybody but you are right I'm not from here. I won't tell you my story though as it is mine."

The Maiar used all his powers, which were indeed very few at the moment, to sound as convincing and respect demanding as he could. It worked but only barely. At least Mal and Zoe put their weapons away and came closer in order to talk to him. Kaylee felt nausea sweeping over her as Mairon spoke. She had such a strong feeling at that very moment like she could see something. For barely a second she saw Mairon growing in a blinding white light. He was double his normal size and radiated light and power. The wave of power was demanding but felt oddly peaceful. She couldn't really say what exactly it was that she had seen but it made her shudder. Then she was confused as Mal and Zoe put their weapons away. They would never do that but she saw with her own eyes that they did, it just didn't mean that she would believe what she saw. Mairon noticed Kaylee's confusion and discomfort but it took him some time to figure out that she probably had sensed his power somehow. He cursed in his mind. It had been stupid to overlook that possibility after she had confessed to him that she was able to hear his soul melody. It was odd at how much more trouble he found in this place. Not even the elves would have noticed that he used his powers not with such a weak outburst but here seemed everything different. He slowly walked over to Kaylee and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he could see her confusion and somewhat fear but not much of the latter. He calmed himself and morphed his presence in a comforting field which he wrapped around her. He could see how she relaxed and slowly nodded at him. That was the moment when they were interrupted by the other woman.

"Why do you want to come with us?"

After his attempts to manipulate had nearly ended fatal he decided to try the truth.

"I want to leave this place but don't have the money to pay for the journey. I also think that Kaylee is a very interesting person and I would like to work together with her. Also you could really need another engineer as you can't expect her to do all the work needed. Your ship is damaged enough to keep fifteen people busy an entire week and you force everything on her without even offering her any help."

Mal was irritated from being called a bad captain by a complete stranger but couldn't deny that he had some valid points. Kaylee shouldn't be alone with all of this. Maybe he would help them to repair the worst and they would leave him at whatever world he wanted to head to? It couldn't be that bad could it? But then he remembered how he had thought the same about Simon and how he smuggled his sister on board. It caused bounty hunters to be on their trail and the mad assassin as well as the entire force of the alliance...

"Mairon who is hunting you?"

"Why would you think someone is hunting me?"

"Because everyone that ends up on board of the Serenity is hunted by someone."

"Does it really matter captain?"

It was Zoe again. She normally didn't speak much but if she spoke it was most of the time important.

"I mean we are hunted by the government of the inner worlds, by nearly every small boss and gangsters in the outer worlds, the reavers and gangland boss you can think of... what would it matter if we have him on board. It's not like it could get any worse."

Mairon fought a smile down. How did they manage to turn everyone against them? They probably really needed his help and not just to keep their ship flying but also in teaching them some politics.

"It does matter."

Mairon didn't roll his eyes but he felt rather tempted this Mal was too stubborn for his own good. Before he could say anything though the man spoke again.

"Whatever hunts you... can you deal with it? Are you able to keep it away from my ship and my crew?"

Mairon's chest clenched at the thought of the Valar. No he wouldn't be able to keep them away but it was highly unlikely that they would find him here wherever he was at the moment. They also were unable to leave Arda by decree of Illuvatar. He didn't know why he was an exception to that rule but he was sure that the world he was on at the moment wasn't Arda and as long as they stayed away from his former home they shouldn't get into troubles with the Valar.

"Yes there shouldn't be a problem and if then I will deal with it without dragging you into it."

It seemed that Mal was content with his answer as the man nodded slowly.

"Ok welcome on board. It will take until evening but I will introduce you to the rest of the family later."

Mairon was puzzled. He hadn't thought that he would become part of the crew so fast. Also why was he included into the family? He couldn't follow this thoughts more thoroughly though as he was suddenly caught into a tight embrace by a happy Kaylee. He smiled. Yes this wasn't so bad. Much better than the void at least.

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3 days later. Traveling through the void was an odd feeling. It wasn't as bad as being thrown out there as punishment but he was a spirit of earth and he felt oddly lost without being close to solid ground. Not that the feeling of being lost was anything new to him on the contrary he felt lost most of the time since he had landed in this strange place full of odd people and things. He felt glad that he had Kaylee she was a very kind person and after he admitted to her that he didn't understand most of the everyday things around them she started to teach him. He repaid her with knowledge about metal and some of the more complicated processes of what they called electro magnetism. He felt relaxed and happy while talking with her about their art and he enjoyed it very much that she could easily follow his explanations and adapt to new concepts. She was far more knowledgeable in those topics than Celebrimbor could have ever dreamed of becoming. It was challenging and reviving to have someone close who could actually grasp a lot of the concepts he used. At the moment they lay underneath the compressor and tried to replace some of the last pieces. It was hard to actually remove the old ones as they were somewhat melted into the other parts or so deformed that it took lots of patience to separate them. It worked and he could feel the happiness roll of in thick waves of Kaylee's fragile form. Even if he couldn't understand it one bit but she loved the ship.

"Serenity is happy again. Thank you so much for your help."

Mairon just smiled. They had spent an entire day on the planet to get her back into the air and then had needed another two days to finish the reparations. It wasn't helpful that they had to do it while Serenity brought them across the borders to the inner worlds but they were successful and now it paid off. Kaylee could hear her ship sing a friendly tune and with it's happiness came hers. Now she just needed to help Mairon so he would sound happy again too. She thought some more about her odd companion and ended up in front of the same questions again. Who was he and where did he come from? He wouldn't talk about it though. She had tried to ask him but he had told her that he really didn't want to talk about it. She had accepted reluctantly but she didn't want to shy him away with her curiosity. She found out a few things about him though but they didn't help on contrary it just raised more questions. For one thing he knew nothing about history or even geography or how star maps looked. He didn't know what a shower was or how things worked on board. She had to explain him everything. He was a fast learner though and was able to understand things at the first try. She had explained him the ship communication system and even if he had never seen or heard of something like that before he could easily comprehend not just the function or how to use it but also how it works. She knew that he would be able to build a similar system just from learning from her. Also all the different ship parts and systems were new for him but he seemed to absorb the knowledge. He also had a gleam in his eyes that spoke of a childish glee and she felt oddly drawn to it.

"Mairon how is it that you can learn things so fast?"

She was so cute. He could hear from her voice that she was simply curious. She didn't ask the question to confront him about something but because she was simply curious about him. He smiled at her again.

"I can't tell you everything yet but I have an affinity for such things. Like you can hear the melodies. For me its just like discovering all those things and it makes perfect sense for me. Its like I have always known those things but not thought of using them in such a way."

Again he didn't really say anything with his answer but Kaylee didn't mind. She just enjoyed that he was having a good time. It made his injured melody sound much more relaxed. It was far better than the sound of confusion and distress she had heard the day before. It had been at the time as she covered some basic history and the outlay of the solar system they were in. She had watched her companion and had suffered at his distress. She couldn't say why he had been so disturbed and as she had tried to ask he didn't answer. She was still puzzled about the situation because she couldn't explain why telling him about ancient earth and how they left their home world after the resources had been used up would be so hard on him. He seemed fascinated with the idea that they had terra formed all the planets in this system and some others close by. As she told him about it he had such a cute expression of disbelief on his face.

Mairon hadn't wanted to believe her story but it was the only explanation. He seemed to have landed in another reality or something like that. One were the Valar had never existed or elves or dwarves. It sounded odd to him but there were only humans around and they had left their home world after terra forming other planets! He still shivered at the thought. How powerful were this beings? Humans creating worlds. They still used their ideas from constructing Arda but nonetheless they created worlds. He didn't know if he should shiver in fear or laugh like a lunatic at the thought on how great Manwe or Melkor would take the news of mere humans being able to create planets. He decided to chuckle while feeling completely confused. It had taken some time until he could follow her explanations again and had missed some parts about how the terra forming of the outer worlds wasn't yet stable and how the difference in the life standard had caused a war. He only paid attention again as he heard that the resistance had lost to the alliance and how the last battle in the valley of Serenity had been a disaster. He had turned to her with an raised eyebrow.

"Then Mal and this ship?"

"Yes he had been there and the ship is named after the valley as a reminder."

"A reminder of what?"

"Zoe never speaks about it much. She only said that after a few days nearly all of their generals had been killed and so it came to Mal to lead about 2000 soldiers. As the government had started the negotiations, there had been 400 left."

Mairon didn't really feel compassion for the people who had died but he knew how losing a war felt so he kept quiet and continued to listen to the story.

"Zoe said without Mal there she would have gone insane, he had been able to keep them together and to keep them fighting. Then they needed to wait, instead of sending help immediately they kept the wounded waiting for over a week until finally sending aid. So in the end Mal brought about 150 people back at least physical. She said everyone who had been there in that battle never comes back, they learn to live in hell."

"That sounds solemn and depressing. How is it that you all are here then? You haven't been in that battle."

"True but I have been in my own hell as well as the others. Serenity is a place out of the grasp of others. It's away from the government and from criminals. We don't fight a war here, we just want to live in peace."

The Maia was caught up in his own thoughts while he continued to work on the different wire parts. Somehow he understood now why she had thought that he would fit in with them. They were tired of fighting and tired of corrupt people. They had enough of following orders blindly and never being themselves. They wanted to be free. They were like him. He suppressed a shiver. When had he started to compare himself to others? On the other hand why not it's not like he had any dignity or honor left anyway. So why should he care about being above all others? It's not that it was such a funny task and he wanted to keep a low profile anyway at least for a long time. He needed rest and knowledge, time to learn and recover before he could even think about anything. As he thought again on how powerful those humans were he was suddenly were grateful that he had met Kaylee rather than someone who would have captured and sold him to some scientists for experiments. All of the crew were kind people as far as he could tell. They were all odd but as Kaylee had put it... it only made him fit in perfectly. He also felt quite safe on board too even if his encounter with River Tam had been more than unsettling.

Mal had introduced him to the crew as promised. Mairon had been quite content with the people as most of them seemed good fighters at least Mal, Zoe and Jayne. He had thought that the captain and his first maat were a bit cold but after what Kaylee had told him he saw now that it was a mask to keep more injuries away from them and their family. Jayne would probably sell them if someone offered enough money but also seemed oddly loyal for someone who claimed to have no loyalty to anyone. Then there was his sweet Kaylee and the pilot Wash. The man seemed like a large happy child at the first glance but that was a deceiving impression as he was the best pilot in the system (Kaylee's words not his) and he was married to Zoe. Mairon wasn't sure what he should think about that piece of information except that it was odd. If he had to guess he would have thought Mal and Zoe were together but no she had chosen the pilot. In addition to the core members he had also met Simon Tam the healer who seemed oddly jealous at how he had met Kaylee. Mairon believed that he was a competent man and he seemed kind enough but in no way would he allow him to be with Kaylee she was just too precious to waste in such a kind. Maybe he shouldn't have stared at the man but he hadn't liked how he thought that he would allow him to be close to his apprentice. There were also Book the shepherd a kind of spiritual leader of his people. Mairon would find out what kind of secret that man hid from everyone but at the first time he had just enjoyed the obscure situation of the man in the middle of smugglers, criminals a prostitute and himself. Inara had been a pleasant surprise. She was nice looking, smart and had obviously a talent for the fine art of deceiving her clients. She would also be able to tell him more about the fine workings in the political webs. The Maia nearly chuckled as he saw the warning glance of Mal. Oh so this was the one he had set his heart on. Those people were crazy. How could he be jealous of him sending looks at her. It was her business anyway or what did he thought how she earned her money. Kaylee had explained to him later that companions had a high social standing in their society and that thanks to Inara they were even able to cross the borders to the inner worlds. Without her they wouldn't be able to get a pass.

It had been cute to notice that she as well didn't like how he had looked at Inara but not on behalf of the woman but him. He hid his smile well at the discovery that she seemed drawn to him. Not that it was a surprising discovery even though it would be useful to him. He was thrown out of his musings as he heard a clear voice.

"I know who you are Mairon."

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Hello hope you had fun with this chapter :) I would be really happy if you could give me a short feed back. Questions are always welcome :)


	6. Chapter 6 Beauty

Disclaimer: Canon parts of Lord of the Rings and Firefly Serenity don't belong to me. I don't earn anything with this story.

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Welcome back to more sci fi insanity... yipee

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Part 6

He swallowed and turned to find out where the voice was coming from. Above their heads, balancing on a railing stood a fragile woman. She was barely yet a woman but one look into her clear eyes told Mairon that she spoke the truth. He hated the situation but it was typically his luck. At the first time he felt somewhat comfortable and able to start a new life he would be found out. Great. He knew that he couldn't wiggle out of this as he heard how Mal and Zoe drew their weapons. It seemed that they trusted her words despite her looking like a crazy person. He didn't really know how he would deal with this but decided that he should do something fast or it would end bad. So he asked with a serious and clear voice.

"And what will you do about it?"

She stared at him like he was an odd and interesting animal. He wondered what she saw and why she behaved so strange.

"Nothing. Yet. You haven't yet decided what your path will be."

"River who is he? Is he dangerous?"

"Don't worry Mal he isn't dangerous to us only to himself. He hasn't made his decision yet so I don't know but there is still a chance that everything will turn out right."

###

It had been a few days ago but her words still haunted him and he didn't like it one bit. It was his luck that Mal seemed to trust this River enough to let him live just because she said that he wouldn't be a threat to them. What did she mean with he had a decision to make and that there was a chance that everything could turn out fine? Again his thoughts were hunted by those words. With a sigh he focused back onto the wires which he sorted through. He noticed that he really got the hang of how things worked on board and he liked it. Even if he found that Serenity had to be the ugliest ship out there it gave him an odd sense of comfort. Like this cabin of metal really gave him some sort of protection from the nothingness outside. It probably was just that he was a being of earth and metal was his beloved material but it granted his mind some peace to be on board.

Kaylee worked hard. The machines worked fine again, the ship had a new skin which was better shielded and could withstand attacks more easily. Serenity felt whole and well but there were still some deformed parts and other cosmetic reparations to make. She wanted the ship to look it's best even if others wouldn't understand why. For her Serenity was the most beautiful ship out there.

"Kaylee?"

"Yes?"

"Who is River Tam?"

The sounds of working stopped and he heard her sigh.

"That is a long story."

"We are trapped in nothingness for at least two more days, so please tell me about her."

"Fine. I guess it started as we accepted no guests on the ship. One of them Simon and a bounty hunter in disguise..."

"Oh so they are the reason why Mal is weary of strangers?"

"Not just them but yes it's a good part in it. Anyway, Simon had paid criminals to break his sister out of a high security scientific facility were they had trapped her and used her for experiments. No one really knows what they have done to her but they messed with her brain."

"That led to her slightly unfocused condition?"

"Yes but since Simon has found better medicine for her she is at least approachable."

Mairon let Kaylee's words sink in. Normally he wouldn't feel pity for others but the fate of River Tam gave him a good idea of his own fate if he had landed in the wrong hands. So what ever joke was played on him, he at least was grateful for not ending up in the hands of those scientists. He also thought about what Kaylee said about River's condition...

"Kaylee? Do you know what exactly bothers the child so much that she can't seem to really focus on anything."

"No we can only guess but through experience I would say that she is able to see different realities and futures and everything happens simultaneously to her. I don't know what those people tried to achieve but somehow they wanted to turn her into a weapon."

Mairon nodded softly but kept quiet. It would at least explain why she had been able to discover him.

"Do you think her abilities are similar to yours?"

"No I don't think so, mine are natural I was able to hear those melodies even as small child but what ever happened to River it only started after her imprisonment."

"So she isn't really able to control what she is seeing... right?"

"Yes you could sum it up that way."

The Maia thought a long time about it before setting it on his ever growing list. On the one hand he didn't know how he ended up with so many things to achieve in such a short time but on the other hand those people were useful and probably less bothersome than others which would use him for their ulterior motives. So he thought that he could try to help River learning to use her abilities rather than being used by them. It would also secure his position on board the serenity if he had River on his side and not against him. So at this point he had decided to teach Kaylee and try to invent new things with her, care for Serenity, learn more about political nuances from Inara and use that knowledge to influence the fate for the crew and help River to find a way to live.

Oddly enough he felt enjoyment thinking about the tasks ahead of him. He didn't mind the challenges or the uncertain outcome.

###

Despite all unpleasant happenings like a reaver attack on day before reaching their destination, Mairon was quite happy with his new life. He slowly settled in and with his growing knowledge he didn't felt so alienated anymore. At least not most of the time. Kaylee was a great help especially as she showed great patience with him while explaining him nearly everything. He was so glad that he had met her as they had started to improve the technology for the ship and he was amazed by how much joy he had while doing so. He still hadn't decided what he was going to do with his new life or if he would ever desire to return to Arda but he also knew that there was no reason for haste. So he would learn and enjoy everything he could find in this strange world even if it was something like a new perspective on life. It had come to him as a shock as he slowly had started to question his former beliefs. Sure being thrown out into the void had somewhat started the process but it confused him that someone like Kaylee had been able to change his mind (a bit) on some topics.

As they had been caught up in repairing the damage caused by the Reaver attack he had been very frustrated with the ships condition.

"This isn't a ship that's a pile of junk."

He felt another wave of frustration as some more parts of the outer skin had to be changed as they had been completely destroyed from the weapons. As he focused on his task he didn't caught the hurt expression in Kaylee's eyes. He felt some regret as he heard her saddened voice though.

"That is not true. It's not Serenity's fault that everyone shoots at her."

He turned to her and saw that his words seemed to have seriously hurt her.

"I'm sorry Kaylee I know that this ship means much to you but even you can't ignore the fact that there are much better ships out there and that we should start to find one that doesn't fall apart every time someone shoots at us. Because... let's face it that will happen pretty regularly as Mal collects enemies like other people collect books."

"You are wrong. Serenity is the best and most beautiful ship in the entire system and even if you try your hardest you wouldn't be able to find a better ship for us."

Her voice was serious and he could see it in her eyes that she meant every word. She really believed that there was no better ship than this? A ship full of so many varying parts that he couldn't even be sure that even one component was still original. How often had it been repaired and changed? It wasn't much more than a patchwork rug. He also had seen the great ships from the alliance which had guarded the border and even as they had finished the deal and took on a new mission before bringing Inara to her next destination they had come across many amazing ships. How could Kaylee be so illusional to believe Serenity more beautiful than all of them? He knew that every crafter tended to look at his work with love and that could lead to exaggeration and loss of reality. It was the reason why he had always accepted her proclamation until now.

"How can you believe that? You can't tell me that she looks better than those border ships, they have much more symmetry are much faster and made of better materials. They have shields and weapons. Serenity doesn't even have a weapon! As you remember clearly those Reavers nearly caught us."

He hadn't expected her to smile at him. Mairon had thought she would be angry or hurt but smiling... that reaction was unsuspected. Kaylee on the other side just felt compassion for Mairon because he didn't know what she had meant. He didn't understand them or even Serenity, yet.

"Mairon there are different kinds of beautiful in this world. You seem to only know one."

He was even more confused at her words now than he had been before. What did she mean with more than one kind of beautiful? Not that he had found that beauty had any use except for seducing elves but beyond that he had never cared for beauty it was useless. A luxus he hadn't been able to afford. He had needed to build an army and gain power so his lands had been poisoned with gases from the volcano but also from the forges. Mordor had never been beautiful but it had been pragmatic and he had chosen to rule through fear so he hadn't any need for beauty. Despite his lack of using beauty he had always known what was considered beautiful. That damn elves had constantly tried to make things beautiful he had never understood their need for perfection and beauty. Why would anyone carve stone pillars for hundreds of years only to make them beautiful? Wasn't it enough that they carried the weight of the roof? No for the elves everything had needed to be beautiful no matter if it fulfilled any use at all. He still remembered Feanor and his cursed stones. He had never been tempted by them. They had been skillfully crafted that was beyond arguing but what kind of use did those gems have? None. After the destruction of the trees one could have argued that they were the last reminders of the light but not even that was much of a use. For him it wouldn't have been worth to start a war about it and drown half of a continent in the end but even his master had been enhanced by them. Mairon had only used beauty to deceive like his cover of Annatar and it had worked brilliantly. So he knew what beauty was: light, power, youthfulness, symmetry and health/perfection. Nothing of that described Serenity and he meant nothing. In a way that ship was an antithesis to beautiful.

"I don't understand what you try to say. Beautiful means that things have a special shape that is bound to symmetry. For some reason all lights like stars are considered beautiful. For some even power and strength represent beauty as well as youthfulness and perfection in looks. Please don't tell me that you think any of those things while looking at this ship because then I need to reconsider your sanity."

Kaylee chuckled again. She was deeply amused by his description. It fitted that he seemed to come from a place were people would truly think that those things alone meant beauty. In some ways he was right even in their society those points were considered beautiful and desirable but not alone.

"You are right. Serenity isn't the most symmetrical or complete/new looking ship that is out there but that's why she is so perfect."

He only raised an eyebrow waiting for her explanation.

"Look if Serenity would look the way you had described beauty then we would be constantly hunted by other criminals just for the worth of the ship. In her current shape no one looks twice at us, most wouldn't think that attacking us would be worth the trouble. The same goes for weapons. The alliance knows that the Firefly class doesn't have weapons its a transport ship otherwise they would never allow us into the central worlds, Inara can sway them only so much. We look so shabby that most people don't look closer, they see us and forget us again. So Serenity is the perfect ship for smugglers like us. No one would believe that we could possess anything valuable and most wouldn't want to come on board to look closer that would be too ugly."

Mairon had closed her eyes during her explanation but couldn't help the soft smile forming on his lips.

"So you consider pragmatism and usefulness as a form of beauty?"

"Yes and also the individualism. Every component and part of the Serenity has a story. Like the part you touch at the moment."

Mairon looked down at the small piece that was part of system that cleaned and changed the air on board. He listened fascinated as she told him how they had need to exchange it and had to evacuate the ship in order to survive. She told him how Mal had stayed behind and waited for another ship to arrive and help them and how those people had tried to take over the ship. Slowly he understood why she touched things so carefully on board, for her it was history a part of Serenity's personality. After learning about it he could even feel it too and bit for bit it got clearer to him what she meant with Serenity's melody. She saw the ship as it's own being and truth be told he started to hear the sound too. More than just the feeling of metal or the ideas of systems he started to hear an identity that which people always say that things are more than just the sum of their parts. He was so focused in exploring his new findings that he nearly missed the next part of her story.

"...there is also the part of Serenity's strength."

"What? Strength? What kind of strength does this ship possess that all those newer ships don't have at least ten times more?"

"Easy Mairon. The people of the alliance think their ships are superior because they have hundreds of systems and sensors. They have so much electronic systems for nearly everything survival systems, security, weapons, radar and many more but that is also their greatest weakness."

"I'm confused again. How can those things be a weakness? I mean Wash would probably love support systems in handling the navigations."

"No he wouldn't because every system can malfunction and the more systems you have the more doesn't work. Systems can be easily betrayed and most criminals hack the Alliance ships with a new virus. They can infiltrate the entire ship through those systems and make them stop working. Even on their own there are always systems which stop working accurately and need to be repaired. The only reason those ships work at all is that they are regularly sent to the great construction halls to be checked and repaired. Even if there is a minor problem they need to send the ship there for reparations."

Mairon understood her point because he had seen what Serenity could do. Yes she got a lot of damage out of most encounters but she still flew. Even with half of the ship deformed they could make her fly again.

"You mean because of the less complicated technology used, Serenity is much more robust against malfunctions?"

"Yes and those systems are not that much interwoven and dependent on all the other systems on board. That's why our ship would still fly even if great parts of it got destroyed and that is her greatest strength because we are outlaws we don't have construction halls and places to drop by every day just to replace or recalibrate some malfunctioning system."

Mairon hadn't thought about things in that way but Kaylee was totally right. For who they were and what they did and needed Serenity was the best ship. Every upgrade that would make her better looking would just blow their cover and put them even more in harms way. They wanted to be away from the system and free. They didn't want to draw attention so the best way was to stay under cover and that worked best in pretending to be an unworthy target. That didn't mean that he couldn't replace some components with better ones, he only needed to make sure that no one noticed. So they probably wouldn't get shield but better material that could withstand more damage would be possible as long as he made it look shabby. It was still not his definition of beautiful even if he could see how fitting perfectly to a situation could hold its own beauty. Maybe he liked Kaylee's way to look at things even better than the elven way. He wouldn't describe Serenity as beautiful though. Maybe he could think of her as the most useful ship and could even have fond feelings about it but it was a start.

###

Their discussion about beauty had started a process in Mairon. He had thought a long time about his own creations, his past and even his masters. He still thought about his ring sometimes and how proud he had been about it's creation. It had been the most beautiful thing he had ever created but he wasn't sure anymore why. He had liked the simple design, how something so powerful could be so plain and at the same time hiding in plain sight. Also the simplicity had represented some form of perfection there had never been a need for a stone or patterns or anything. He had always loved it for it's power. Now he loved it for how fitting it had been for the situation. How it had been so small and simply and yet could have turned the world. He also now saw how foolish he had been. What had the power used him? Nothing and then he had even lost it and with the ring the greater part of his own soul had been gone.

Mairon's thoughts returned to the present and what he wanted from his new life now. Would he strive for power again? Creating another ring or another country. Did he even want to rule anymore? It was odd even standing on top of Baradur as a shard of his former self had been so addicting that he hadn't doubted his decision to dominate the world for even a second. His goal was to win the ring back and take over middle earth. After his domination he would have tried to take down Arnor but for what? To crown himself as ruler of the world. How would that have helped him to be free or to focus on what he truly wanted? No, even if he would have been successful he would have needed to rule the world, make decisions and lead things not that there would have been any time left for him to do what he wanted. In some ways stranding in this new place had been the best thing that could have happened to him. He was free, free of his master and being forced to try and take over the world. He could do now whatever he wanted. The only question was what exactly was it that he wanted to do with his life? He wanted to live and to be free, he wanted to craft and to learn. He even wanted to have some fun. Everything else all grand plans and schemes could wait.

That was how Kaylee found Mairon sitting at the wooden table were they all met for meals. He had a cup of steaming liquid in his hands and stared into nothingness. She went over to him and softly put a hand on his shoulder. She felt his body tense in surprise before relaxing as he recognized that it was her.

"Mairon why are you sitting here brooding all alone?"

He looked at her and smiled.

"I was thinking of what I want to do with my life now."

Kaylee took place at the chair next to him, hoping he would tell her about his plans.

"What is it that you want to do?"

"At the moment I want to stay with you but I also want to improve some things around here. I have thought about visiting Book's community. As far as he had told me there are some mountains with good ore where I could build a forge and start to work not only on the ship but some other projects too."

Kaylee was happy for him, such a life would probably really fit to him as he wasn't so much into flying around. Also having a place that felt like home where they could land and take a break for a few days would be great. She also felt very sad at the prospect of not having him close to her anymore. Something of her sadness must have shown on her face as his eyes narrowed.

"Kaylee?"

"Sorry Mairon, I think that would be a great idea for you. I know how much you like those things. I'm just sad that it would mean that we probably have to part ways."

He tilted his head to one side before starting to smile.

"You don't think that I would allow my apprentice to be away from me?"

She looked at him surprised. His apprentice? That was new.

"You know that I care for Serenity and won't leave her behind..."

Then they had a somewhat heated discussion about different ways to create their new life. She didn't know how but Mairon was able to slowly sway her into staying with him.

"Look Mal would probably be quite grateful for having somewhat of a home place to return too and you can always do the reparations there. It would even prevent that you get caught in shootings so often and you could have your own garden. Brook has told me that they grow their own fruits and other food there so I don't see why you couldn't do the same."

He knew that he had won. The last point swayed her over to his side. He had known how much she suffered with not getting any good food. He even softly fed her the idea of helping the crew out with supplies and food after they had settled. Kaylee thought about the idea and couldn't see a disadvantage. She had known that Mairon would try to change some things because even if Mal tried his best they were always low on food, components and everything they needed to survive. If she was for example able to create her own vineyard then they could sell it. Real wine was very expensive as you mostly only got the synthetic substitute... even people from the central worlds would pay a high prize for it. Mairon had a hard time to hide his grin. He felt how she slowly warmed up to the idea and wasn't surprised to hear her next words.

"Alright I will come with you."

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**Epilogue:**

True to their plans things on board of the Serenity started to change. Mal had been completely against the idea of letting Kaylee leave at least in the beginning. After two years he finally let the grudge against Mairon go. Kaylee still shook her head at her former captain. The man was too stubborn for his own good. Life had changed for the better though and not even Mal could deny it. Book's village like convent had welcomed them in their neighbor hood. It hadn't been a problem at all that they didn't share their beliefs. Mairon and Kaylee had been a welcomed guests and their help was very much appreciated. They mostly traded knowledge on raising plants for help around the buildings and small reparations. Mairon had been so happy to be on solid ground again and to have a beautiful mountain next to him had made it just better. He had just started to explore it more closely but true to Book's words it was rich with useful resources.

Kaylee had her own strawberries! The vineyard wouldn't be ready for some years as it would take some time to make the earth work but with Mairon's help they found a good spot for it and started on it. She had time as the other things progressed well and alone with the fresh fruits they could earn a small fortune. Most of her stuff was used by the crew themselves but some was sold and because fruits were so rare and exotic in the outer worlds the trade started to go really well. If she wasn't busy with growing food she worked with Mairon and true to his claim he treated her as apprentice and even more. It was some kind of companionship and she loved every second of it. They created a lot of useful stuff. In the beginning it were mostly things that helped the people in what they called the village. They helped to improve the watering of the fields and gardens, made sure to win energy for the machines from the sun and the wind and so on.

The core crew minus Kaylee was mostly busy with transport missions. After they started to earn money with selling fresh food they could decline some of the more dangerous missions. It left Serenity in a much better shape and they managed to take enough breaks at Kaylee's place so she never threatened to fall apart again. The only real problem they encountered was to keep the Reavers away from their friends but so far they managed. Mal showed his talent with sealing deals as he prevented them from selling to much of the food to one client. They always sold very small amounts so no one would get suspicious or feel threatened. They made sure that the stuff was always fresh and exclusive and that way they could sell it for higher prizes. Life was good and they managed to stay out of sight. The ship guests like Simon and Inara made sure to spend some weeks as Kaylee's guests and even the rest of the crew took some breaks between their missions.

All in all it looked promising.

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Thank you all very much for reading this story. I know it is somewhat short and a kind of set up for a much larger episodic adventure story. Maybe one day I will write about all the things they are going to face from there on or someone else could do that. :) For me it is closed now as Sauron has somewhat changed his way and found a new life. Therefore if there will be a sequel then it will be a separate story. So again thanks very much for reading and I hope you had fun.


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